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Knight's Guard
The Knight's Guard or, formally, the Royal Retainers of Kandella, are a group of warriors chosen to protect Queen Anopra of Kandella. They are also sent out to retrieve Kandella's lost treasures such as the Bowl of Controlling Water Elementals and the Brazier of Commanding Fire Elementals. The Knight's Guard was formed after Queen Anopra saw Krieg, Cynthia, Phoebe, Darrow, Achilles, and Aladix fight in the arena. Members Acting Members * Krieg * Cynthia * Phoebe * Darrow * Achilles * Aladix Honorary Members * Dragonite * Nic * Diath * Lavernicus * Ignifer * Icarus * Zarro Allies * Queen Anopra * Shuise * SG * Forsythe * Teima * Tim * Verbrenn * Op the Mystic * Alizabeth * Balasar * Griffons * General Ippan History Beginnings Queen Anopra was ordered by Shuise via her father, The King's orders, to go out and search for a group of retainers to guard her. He knew he would soon fall to his miraculous illness and wanted his daughter to be well-protected. So, during the extravagant Festival of Selûne, Goddess of the Moon, Shuise took her out into her glorious city of Kandella. After running into a few peculiar characters while enjoying the festivities - a man named Darrow with a baby dragon named Dragonite and a buxom blonde woman calling herself Serena - they went to the ever-popular Arena to scope out potential retainers. There, they saw many duels throughout the night, but two specific instances stood out to them. One duel was between a strange man the announcer declared as Achilles and the man they'd seen before, Darrow, with his dragon. The other was between a man named Gareth and a steam woman named Phoebe who had a strange stoic man named Nic with her, who would turn out to be a Stone Golem. After going back home to the palace, Anopra was sure who she'd call on the next day. Phoebe, Darrow, and Achilles were all called on by soldiers of the kingdom. Once the group had arrived in the meeting room - along with a redheaded woman named Cynthia who had entered with Phoebe, who ensured her of the woman's abilities - Shuise asked them the ultimate question: Would they like to be the retainers of the Queen? Of course, they all accepted, but he told them that they must go on a quest to prove their loyalty and strength. He sent them to the Tomb of Kagaami to retrieve an ancient treasure of Kandella's that had been lost long ago. With them he also sent Krieg, the Retainer of Anopra's sick father, to ensure that they told the truth about their journey. Tomb of Kagaami Shortly after departing Kandella, the group of five ran into their first battle as a team - a Cyclops, which they quickly dispatched with ease. Later on the journey, they ran into a Couatl and an Azer. They started to fight the pair, but Darrow realized that these creatures they were fighting were goodly, so he forced the group to stop the battle. Darrow quickly apologized, and asked if there was anything they could do to repay the duo for their misdeeds. The Couatl introduced himself as Tim and his Azer friend was named Verbrenn. The group had nothing that could repay the duo, so the good-natured Tim asked to be told stories of their travels. The next morning, the heroes departed from their newfound friends, back on the path to the Tomb of Kagaami. Guarding the entrance to the Tomb, however was a Fire Giant and his pet Hell Hound. The group quickly dispatched the duo and delved into the Tomb. Once inside, they decided to split off into three groups, with Cynthia accompanying Krieg, Achilles accompanying Phoebe, and Darrow going alone with Dragonite. Achilles and Phoebe, after defeating a Bone Naga and a Guardian Naga, found the treasure Shuise spoke of - the Brazier of Commanding Fire Elementals. Darrow and Dragonite dispatched a Bone Devil before continuing forward to find a corridor filled with burning ivy. They saw a person however, in the midst of the ivy. Darrow ran in, grabbing the man - a Tiefling - and bringing him back into the center of the tomb. After Phoebe and Achilles came back, the Tiefling soon awoke. After asked who he was, he responded that he couldn't remember anything except for his name, which was Aladix. Before having any time to chat however, they heard a war cry from Krieg and rushed to see what was going on. When they got there, they found Krieg and Cynthia next to Verbrenn and Tim, engaged with a Genie from the Element of Fire - an Efreeti. After a thankfully short battle, mostly thanks to Tim and Verbrenn, they defeated the being. As Verbrenn informed them that he had felt something calling him to this place, Darrow noticed a treasure chest at the other side of the room, glowing bright red. As he opened it, a red ball of energy flew out of it and into the sword he had taken from the Fire Giant, imbuing it with the Element of Fire. They also found a stash of magical cloaks, and each took one. The group departed, once again, from Tim and Verbrenn, with hopes that they may some day meet again. They uneventfully returned to Kandella where Anopra gladly hired all of them as her Retainers, even the amnesiac Aladix. All of a sudden, disaster struck! The King was dying! While none of the group besides Krieg had known him, they could all sense that something in the kingdom had deeply changed. Cave of Kimyona A few months later, Shuise called on the group once more. After they had all gathered in the meeting room, Shuise alone - for Anopra was notably absent - told them that he had another mission for them to embark on. The kingdom's wates had not arrived on time and he was worried that their merchant ship had been intercepted by pirates. He also subtly disclosed that another ancient piece of treasure was amongst this specific shipment, the Bowl of Controlling Water Elementals. He then sent them off to the coastal cove of Kimyona where the merchant ship was sailing to. The group called for their pet griffons they had found on the way to the Tomb of Kagaami. On the journey there, they ran into an Air Elemental. Krieg, attempting to finish off the beast, jumped off of his griffon and slashed at it. The attack barely had any effect and Krieg began to plummet - but not for long, as he landed on something soft. The group was in shock - Krieg had landed upon a gigantic bird with a 200 foot wingspan - a Roc! After quickly dispatching the air elemental, Aladix had an insane idea. He jumped upon the Roc and started speaking soothingly to it, attempting to tame it. He managed to get the rest of the group to assist him, and somehow, they succeeded! Now riding a Roc, as they let their griffons go to live freely, the Knight's Guard continued to fly directly towards Kimyona. However, storm clouds were rolling in, and the Roc got struck by lightning! The Roc was, thankully, mostly undamaged, but Phoebe fell off from the shaking, plummeting to the ground far below. The group had no time to mourn, however - they had a mission to complete. Once they made it to their destination, they immediately began to check out the coast. Not long after, they found a washed up ship. After investigating it, they found that it was a pirate ship - and it was completely bereft of any life. Krieg, however, searching the holding cells, did find something - a Sea Hag. After she began shouting at him in a shrieking, shrill voice, he ran away. Darrow came in and quickly dispatched her. After disembarking the ship, they decided to check out a nearby cave, dubbed the Cave of Kimyona. After entering the very wet cave, they encountered a Water Weird which they quickly defeated thanks to Aladix's expertise in controlling water. They soon came to another split path, though, and decided to split up. Aladix and Cynthia went to the right, Achilles and Krieg went forward, and Darrow once again went with Dragonite to the left. Nic, who had still been following the group despite Phoebe's absence, fell deeper into the water due to being too heavy to swim. Darrow and Dragonite, after defeating another lowly demon, ran into something peculiar - a Shield Guardian. Darrow knew that Shield Guardians can be controlled only by someone with a specific red amulet. He held off the Shield Guardian, which was guarding a door, while Dragonite burrowed underneath. Dragonite found, behind the door, a host of tied up prisoners - merchants and pirates alike! There was clearly something strange going on, but there was a battle to fight now. As the prisoners bust open the door, they saw Darrow get knocked out by the Shield Guardian. One prisoner, though, a red-skinned man in a white robe came up and healed him. Darrow, Dragonite, and the mystery man defeated the Shield Guardian as the prisoners retreated. Aladix and Cynthia, meanwhile, had a difficult underwater battle with a Water Elemental, which left both of them badly damaged. Continuing forward, they heard a voice talking to themselves about having to "work with those disgusting hags." Coming around the corner, they stood face to face with an Oni, a tall blue humanoid monster. He immediately cast a Cone of Cold, almost killing both of his adversaries. Aladaix, having none of it, cast Geas, controlling the monster. They soon ran into a Marid, a genie from the Elemental Plane of Water, guarding a chest that was glowing bright blue. In the midst of their battle, the Marid threw his trident at Aladix, and then flew forward and cast a spell - sending the Oni to the Elemental Plane of Water, never to be seen again. After dispatching the genie, Aladix snatched its trident and went to the chest. As he opened it, a blue ball of energy flew out of it and into the trident, imbuing it with the Element of Water. Achilles and Krieg fought a variety of beasts as their path led them straight upwards. Soon, they came through an opening into the sky. It was still violently storming, and it was even worse when they were so high up. They were on a large round platform, and at the other side of the platform stood a monstrous lightning beast known as a Behir. It was guarding a chest, they noticed, which stood bright against the dark of night. Their battle with the beast was great indeed. As the beast was on its last legs, it violently struck Krieg with lightning, knocking him out. Achilles finished off the beast and resuscitated Krieg. Krieg, feeling drawn to the chest, popped it open. A bright yellow ball of energy came out and flew into his bone axe, imbuing it with the Element of Lightning. Inside the chest was an extra bonus, as well - the Censer of Controlling Air Elementals! Nic, after plummeting for a good while, soon began walking up the inclined beach ahead of him. After quite a time of walking, he came out of the water and heard a voice muterring, complaining about "Osoroshi forcing me to work with that terrible Oni." Nic came around to see a Green Hag. After a very one-sided battle, with Nic not being hit once, the green had pulled out a Hag Eye - a magical item used to talk to other hags in a Hag Coven - and called for Osoroshi's assistance. Nic cut her down before she could continue, and then continued down the corridor to find a door. Opening it, he found two unconscious men tied up. He quickly freed them and one awoke and slapped him in the face. After Nic esnured him that he was friendly and that they needn't fight, the man introduced himself as Diath Greyclaw. The other man soon woke up as well, asking what the other two were doing and where they were. They explained to him the situation and he introduced himself as Icarus. Phoebe, meanwhile, had survived her fall off the Roc, barely. Laying collapsed in the middle of the woods, she began being assaulted by horrible nightmares of her companions turning against her. Soon, though, she awoke and found herself on a table in a wooden cabin. There was a beautiful woman standing over her, who introduced herself as Subarashi. Subarashi told her that she had taken her to the cabin and patched her up, but that the majority of Phoebe's wounds were internal, so she was making her a healing potion. Phoebe, after making some pleasant conversation with the good-looking woman, sent her consciousness into Nic as he was fighting the green hag and heard the green hag call for Osoroshi on the Hag Eye. Phoebe immediately went back into her consciousness and saw Subarashi upstairs, pulling out the other Hag Eye! Still wounded, she rushed up the stairs and went to snatch the magical item. Subarashi noticed though, defeating her attempt - and revealed herself as a Night Hag named Osoroshi! She shot a Ray of Enfeeblement at Phoebe, which she swiftly dodged, leaving one part of the wooden wall decayed. Osoroshi then went at clawing Phoebe physically, which she repeatedly dodged whilst still retaliating. Phoebe ran to get her bow and, with an arrow notched, attempted to get Osoroshi to surrender. Osoroshi, seeing that she was fighting a losing battle and decided to join Phoebe's side. Nic, Icarus, and Diath continued on through the caves, searching for an exit. After another turn, they finally saw sunlight! Diath, excited, ran forward, but was quickly surprised when a Remhoraz busted out of the ground in front of him. As the three began to fight the monstrous beast, they heard a loud barking. From the entrance to the cave, Diath's dog, Lavernicus, came in to help the trio defeat the Remhoraz. After a mildly difficult battle, the group took a few moments to rest when more figures came from the cave entrance - Phoebe and Osoroshi. After explaining to Icarus and Diath who they were, they told them that Osoroshi was taking Phoebe to her stash of magical items. With the newfound trio now in tow, Phoebe and Osoroshi continued forward. Darrow, Dragonite, and the red-skinned man escorted all of the captives outside. Some escaped to Kimyona and the rest escaped on the pirate ship. The red-skinned man asked if Darrow would like assistance in finding his friends, which he gladly accepted. All of a sudden, a Horned Devil flew down from the sky! Cadmael summoned a radiant being to assist them in battle - and what showed up was Tim! While the four were battling the fiend, a new ally entered the fray - a woman named Ignifer! After defeating the Devil, she explained that she had started to head to Kimyona with some of the others when she realized that the ship might have treasure on it, so she returned, only to find that the ship had already departed. She decided to help the heroes, though, and decided that she should come with them since she had nothing better to do. She also asked the red-skinned man what his name was, to which he replied that it was Cadmael. They went back into the caves and ran into Achilles and Krieg, so the group went to go meet up with Aladix and Cynthia. Aladix and Cynthia, meanwhile, were about to head back when one of the walls near them opened up and Phoebe's group came in. After explaining the situation to them, Osoroshi opened another one of the walls, and behind that laid a few magical items, including the Bowl of Controlling Water Elementals and a collar that would allow Lavernicus to transform into a Hell Hound. Darrow's group entered the room, then, and Darrow, seeing that there was an evil hag, went to strike her down. Frightened and surprised, Osoroshi teleported to the Feywild, accidentally bringing along Phoebe, who grabbed her shoulder. Cadmael then looked at Aladix, surprised by his presence. Aladix explained that he had no idea who Cadmael was due to being an amnesiac, so Cadmael told him of his past. Aladix had apparently been a high ranking Mingsheng general and had betrayed Mingsheng in a major battle against Gorga. The group then left, with Cadmael sending Tim away and then departing himself. The Knight's Guard, with their newfound allies, Diath, Lavernicus, Icarus, and Ignifer, returned to Kandella on their Roc. Icarus explained that she was once a Gorgan soldier, but, sensing that there was a natural unbalance inbetween Kandella and Mingsheng, had left to go to Kandella. Diath told the group that he was a citizen of a village named Inu that had been destroyed by an evil warlock so he had come to live in Kandella, where he had found blacksmithing work under the local blacksmith, Kusshoku, who every member of the Knight's Guard had already met except for Cynthia. Once they returned to Kandella, they were warmly greeted by Queen Anopra, Shuise, Royal Gardener Forsythe, Royal Animal Tamer - and Aladix's new girlfriend - Teima, and newly appointed Royal Blacksmith Kusshoku. Icarus, Ignifer and Diath introduce themselves to everyone and Diath, after learning of Kusshoku's recent appointment, deduces that he is now the Royal Blacksmith's Apprentice. After the jolly greeting, the group gave Shuise their mission report and departed. Over the next month and a half afterwards, Icarus ended up saving a high ranking General, General Ippan, from death, earning him a high standing in the Kandellan military. Queen Anopra also sent out a call for auditions for a Royal Bard, which Ignifer ended up winning. Mountain of Certain Death Another month afterwards, it has slipped into the beginning of the next year. Shuise sends them on another quest - this time to the Mountain of Certain Death for the Stone of Commanding Earth Elementals. Diath had also decided to come along with the group to see how they fought so he could make them nice armour and he had insisted that Icarus come as well, since he had helped Diath escaped from the Cave of Kimyona. Shuise also insisted that they bring along Ignifer, to test how trustworthy she was. So, the group of nine departed on their Roc for the southwest. As they landed, Darrow recalled a tale of this mountain and how a fabled dragon lived inside. They found a cave opening and delved inside. The group soon came to a split pathway, with three different passages, and they decided to split up. Cynthia, Phoebe, and Ignifer decided to go left; Achilles, Darrow, and Krieg went straight; which left Aladix, Diath, and Icarus to go right. Cynthia, Phoebe, and Ignifer, after going down a narrow dark path, came into a large room and were surprised to see a White Dragon, already engaged in a battle with another creature. As the trio started to assist, they realized that the creature was someone they already knew - it was Tim! After Ignifer slayed the dragon by animating her coins, Tim explained why he was in the caverns. Apparently, when Tim was sent bac War of Mingsheng Category:Groups Category:Knight's Guard